Guelph General Hospital awarded “Accredited with Exemplary Status”

Guelph General Hospital (GGH) has been awarded the highest rating of “Accreditation with Exemplary Status.” It is given to, “organizations that go beyond the requirements of Accreditation Canada and demonstrate excellence in quality improvement” from Accreditation Canada – an independent, not-for-profit organization that sets standards for quality and safety in health care.

“I couldn’t agree more about this being a fitting description of GGH,” said Marianne Walker, President and CEO. “This award reflects the excellence and dedication of everyone here - our patients, families, Board, staff, physicians and volunteers.”

A three-member accrediting team spent three days at GGH in May. While here, they visited almost every area of the hospital and interviewed staff, patients, families and community healthcare partners. GGH met or exceeded 98.3 per cent of the 2,233 standards that were assessed. Some of the highlights from the accreditors’ report included:

The organization has a highly engaged group of staff and physicians. They seemed to enjoy their work and were very proud to be a part of Guelph General Hospital.

Those joining the organization can feel the culture of helpfulness and being listened to by the leadership team. There is a real sense of caring and the low turnover rate reflects that culture.

The organization is transparent and open in disclosing critical incidents as soon as it is aware of them and using these incidents to improve its processes. Staff feel supported and a no-shame, no-blame culture is evident.

Many positive comments about the excellent care provided are highlighted at departmental level.

Community partners commented that GGH works together with them to improve the care of its patients.

The leadership team is made up of passionate professionals who are committed to providing safe, patient-centred care and a safe environment for staff.

The organization has a dedicated board of directors with a membership composed of highly engaged community members who are passionate about making a difference in the health of their communities.

GGH has an extensive and deliberate approach to strategic planning and redesigning of services. Patients and families were equal partners in providing feedback into the strategic plan. Huddles keep the strategic priorities alive and embedded in day-to-day work. The organization is commended for this.

The full Accreditation Report and Executive Summary are available on GGH’s web site.